Members will receive a presentation from the Community, Business, Work and Skills Team Leader.

Attached for information to the agenda is a report which is due to be considered by Cabinet Executive on 18 September 2023. The Appendix to the report will be circulated separately.

Considered - presentation by the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader.

The Chairman, Cllr. Nick Brown welcomed the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader to the meeting.

The Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader provided an overview of the Economic Development Framework 2023-2026 and introduced the ‘Economic Development Action Plans’ document, which was circulated to Members as a handout at the start of the meeting.

The handout included five priority themes for driving economic improvement, each with an associated action plan. It was agreed that the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader would present each priority theme and take Members’ questions on each.

Priority Theme 1: Supporting local businesses and innovation

Members questioned the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader on the following:

·         Blaby’s strategy for SME’s (small to medium-sized enterprises) and the challenge posed by Fosse Park to smaller retailers.

·         The overall resilience of the local economy.

·         The level of dialogue between Blaby District Council and the district’s larger employers, such as Next, and the importance of knowing what these employers are looking for. 

·         The ecosystem of smaller businesses supplementing larger ones.

·         The impact of the pandemic on SME’s.

·         How SME’s are identified by the council. The Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader highlighted the success of initiatives like the weekly newsletter and bi-monthly Business Breakfast in providing key networking opportunities and support for local businesses. These initiatives helped to raise the council’s profile and expand its SME database.

Priority theme 2: Shaping our work and skills agenda

Members questioned the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader on the following:

·         Increasing partnerships and building relationships with schools and higher education establishments.

·         Upskilling Blaby District’s workforce of the future.

·         Identifying skill gaps among 16-24 year olds and mitigating the impact of the pandemic on their professional development.

·         The affordability of housing relative to salaries across the district.

Priority 3: Growing and supporting the Green Economy

Members questioned the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader on the following:

·         How SME’s are supported in going Green and the advice that is offered.

·         Collating data on SME’s that need the council’s assistance in reducing their carbon footprint (e.g. solar panels and heat pumps).

Priority 4: Building Pride in Place

Members questioned the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader on the following:

·         The marketing of local businesses and the image of the District.

·         How Blaby’s visitor figures compare to other district and borough council’s in terms of day and overnight visitors. The Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader responded that this information would be circulated in a future meeting.

·         How Blaby’s visitor statistics are calculated. The Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader responded that this would be taken into account and that a background to these statistics would be brought to a future meeting.

·         The weighting of visitor statistics towards Fosse Park and the need to promote other areas of the district.

Priority 5: Identifying Investable Propositions

Members questioned the Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader on the following:

·         How the Economic Development Framework/ retail strategy aligns with the aims of the Local Plan and other strategies, particularly in terms of planning and land use. The Economic & Community Development, Work and Skills Team Leader explained that the ‘Economic Development Action Plans’ document was distributed to the Planning Department and that further input from the Planning Departments would be sought.

·         Different methods of creating retail units, such as the pop-up shop model and the use of vacant spaces (e.g. empty supermarkets).

·         The impact of Leicester City’s rival markets policy on local business.